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(Model.) sheetssneet 2.

. E. BUKIES. SEWING MACHINE ATTAGHMENT F011 OVBRGASTING'THB BD GBS of FABRICS.

No. 412.595. Patented oet'. a, 1339;

N. PETERS. Plmlo-Lhognphen Washinginn. D. C.

" UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EUGENE BUKIES, OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO JOHN S. GARDNER, OF SAME PLACE.

SEWING-MACHINE ATTACHMENI FOR QVERCASTING THE EDGES OF FABRICS.

SPECIEIATION forming part of Letters Patent No, 412,595, dated October 8,

Application nea May 29, 1889. serai No. 912,490. Modu.)

To all whom tm/ay concern.-

. Be it known that I, EUGENE BUKrEs, of Kansas City, Jackson county, Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Serging or Overcasting Attachments for Sewing-Machines, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof.v L

My invention relates to a new and useful device for serging or overcasting the edges of cloth, textile fabric, &c., to prevent the same `from raveling and for ornamentation.` There are specialsewing-machines now in use that make the same stitch and do the same kind of work, but they are expensive; and thereforethe object of my invention is to provide a simple, cheap, and effective attachment which may be applied tofany of the many makes of sewing-machines. Serging or overcasting the raw or cut edges of textile fabrics to prevent raveling consists'in forming an irregular or wavy line of stitches, which extend inward a short distance from the edge and engage the body of the fabric.

My invention consists 4in an attachment by means of which the ordinary straight-stitch feeding motion vis changed to a zigzag feeding motion, and in order; to accomplish this I employ a feeding device which has both a rotary and lateral motion.

The invention' is fully describedv hereinafter in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein-- Figure 1is a side view of the attachment applied in its operative position to a sewingmachine. Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view of the same. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the attachment removed from the sewing-machine. Fig. 4t is an endcview of the sliding plate, Whiclris operated indirectly by the needle-bar of the sewing-machine. Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional view of the attachment, showingthe main shaftinV elevation, with the parts located upon it in section. Fig. 6 is a plan view of the attachment with the sliding frame removed to show the cam` andthe operating-arm. Fig. 7 is an inverted plan view of a portion of the stationary plate by 'means of which the attachment is applied to the sewing-machine, to show the switch-cam by means of which the pivoted operating-arm isdirected alternately into different arms of the cam-slot; and Fig. 8 is a detail vertical sectional view of one of the posts forming a part of my invention.

In the construction of my attachment for sewing-machines, I employ an operating-arm A, which is connected at one end to the needle-bar of the sewing-machine by means of a link A', and is secured at the other end to the squared end of ahorizontal shaft e, which is loosely mounted in standards P, cast integral with the parallel tracks D. Said tracks support a sliding frame D, which slides longitudinally between them, and is connected to an arm B, carried by the shaft e. ,This arm is secured to the shaft e by the set-screw f, and itis preferably provided at its free end with a fork for the reception of a knob C, cast integral with a small adjustable plate d, said plate CZ being provided with a slot d', through which passes a set-screw d, whereby the knob C may be adjusted to the strokes of different machines. At the front end of the said sliding frame is a curved arm F, which carries'a friction-roller F adapted to come in contact withl a cam G when the sliding frame moves forward, or toward the needlebar. This cam is raised by the arm F to about a vertical position, as shown in Fig. 2, and when the sliding frame moves backward the cam is permitted to drop until checked by the pin. g thereof coming in contact with an arm q', the lower end of which is pivoted to a slotted sector q. By loosening the setscrew r, which is carried by the check-amig', thelatter may be raised or lowered to increase or decrease the circular movement of the cam G, which is loosely mounted on the main shaft H. The cam G also carries a pawl G', which engages a ratchet I, keyed or otherwise rigidly secured to the main shaft, whereby when the pawlis raised by the arm F the main shaft is rotated or turned a portion of a complete revolution, and when the cam drops down the pawl slips idly over the ratchet. f The amount of the revolution of the main shaft-at each elevation of the cam is governed by the normal position of the cam, (when its pin g is in contact with the arm QQ) and this normal position is regulated by adjusting the arm q', as above described.

In order to insure the' engagement of thev IOO pawl with the ratchet, I provide a spring h, which is coiled around the main shaft., with one end extended up to about the center of the pawl and bent in the form of a hook, to bear against the face of the pawl, and the other lend bent around the post n. Located at one end of the main shaft is a feed-roll K, which is provided with teeth or serrations to engage the material or fabric and carry it forward as the main shaft is rotated. Said feedroll is mounted loosely on the main shaft, so as to have an independentlateral movement, thisbeingaccomplishedbyaspline-and-groove connection, consisting of a tongue u on the y main shaft fitting in a corresponding groove in the feed-roll. The feed-roll is further provided near its rear end with a peripheral groove m, into which project ears j', which are secured to a slidingplate M,wh ereby when the said plate moves laterally the feed-roll is given a correspon ding movement on the main shaft. The rear end of the main shaft is form ed into a ball H, which is located in the hollow portion of the post o', said post being provided with a set-screw w for adjusting the main shaft, and said shaft is also provided with an adjustable collar 3, which bears against the side of the cam G, to hold the latter in place, said collar having a set-screw 4.

L L represent pressing-fingers, which are adapted to hold the material being sewed in position for the feed-roll, and they are afixed to or formed integral with (as shown in the drawings) a connecting-piece L, which is hinged to a plate L, the latter being secured to the sliding plate M by means of a screw s. Located beneath these pressing-lingers is a spring R, which raises their forward ends to permit the material to be placed beneath them. To prevent the said spring from raising the pressing-fingers when the feed-roll is down in its operative position, I affix a strip or arm Z to the piece L, which strip or arm extends under the shaft H and is pressed down thereby.

To place the material beneath the pressing-fingers and the feed-roll, it is necessary to raise the front end of the shaft H, and to do this I provide a lever H', which is pivoted at t" to the post U, and is provided at its lower end with an extension 3l at an angle to the lever which extends under the shaft. By pressing this lever its lower end is raised, thereby raising the shaft a sufficient distance to enable the material to be placed thereunder, and the strip or arm Z being sii multaneously released, the spring R also elevates the pressing-fingers. The spring U, which is located within the post n, presses the head of the pin U down upon the top of the shaft H, and therefore, when the lever H is released, said shaft is returned to its normal position, with the feed-roll in contact with the material to be sewed. By tightening or loosening the tension-screw t' the pressure of the feed-roll on the material may be varied at will. A connection-link Q is pivoted at one end, as seen at t', to the sliding plate M, and at the other end, as seen at t, to the cam-plate J which is fulcrumed by means of the screw J to the stationary plate N. The screw t', which connects the end of the link Q to the sliding plate M, passes through said sliding plate and engages a small block l5, which slides back and forth in a transverse slot 12 in the stationary plate N, and the screw t, which connects the end of the said link to the cam-plate, engages a curved slot 14 in the latter, thereby providing an adjustable connection, which may be changed to increase 01 diminish the lateral movement or throw of the plate M. The plate M is provided near its front end with a slot m', which forms a clearance for the needle of the sewing-machine, and the pressingfinger adjacent to the needle-bar is provided with a corresponding slot m for the same purpose. Said plate M is also provided with slots 9 and 10 to receive the posts @and c', in order that the plate may move freely. An operating-arm E is pivoted by means of a screw a to the under surface of the sliding frame D, said arm being provided at its free end with a pin 7, which operates in a camslot WV in the cam-plate. Said slot consists of two divergent arms, which are separated by an intervening tongue 20, and this slot is located over a substantially heart-shaped guide-slot W in the stationary plate N, whereby the pin 7 travels in bothslots simultaneously. A spring O is attached to the sliding frame D immediately in rear of the operating-arm E, theV latter being provided with a fiattened or curved portion to bear against the spring, whereby when the sliding frame reaches the limit of its rearward movement, the operating-arm is thrown by the force of the said spring into such a position that the pin 7 stands in the center of the cam-slot W. The disposition of the guideslot with relation to the cam-slot is such that at the end of each rearward stroke of the sliding frame one arm of the cam-slot is open for the reception of the pin 4'7, and the other arm is partially closed, as shown clearly in Fig. 7, and as the pin 7 moves rearwardly in one arm of the slot the other arm thereof is opened for its reception, thereby causing the pin to alternately traverse the two arms, never entering the same arm of the slot in two consecutive strokes of the sliding frame.

The operation of the attachment is as follows: When the needle-bar of the sewingmachine rises, the free end of the arm A is elevated, thereby drawing the sliding frame forward and causing the operatingarm E to swing the camplate, for instance, toward the 9 operator, as shown in dotted lines in Fig@ this being accomplished by the pin 7 traveling in the arm of the cam-slot which is remote from the operator. The sliding plate is thereby drawn forward and the ears j,which are attached thereto, simultaneously move the feed-roll K forward, and thereby move IIO the material which is being sewed in the same direction. At the same time that the feed-roll is moved laterally, as described,` the arm F on the sliding frame engages the cam G, and, raising the same, partially rotates the main shaft, and thereby rotates said feedroll. When the needle bar descends, the

i sliding frame is moved back to its initial position, thereby giving the cam G an opportunity to drop to its horizontal position, and when the needle-bar again rises the pin 7 of the operating-arm E travels in the other arm of the slot W, thereby swinging the camplate in the opposite direction to that shown in Fig. 2 and sliding the plate M rearwardly, and the ratchet mechanism or rotary feed is again operated to turn the main shaft. The stationary plate N is provided at a suitable point with a slot 11, to receive a set-screw 16, wherebygsaidv plate may be secured to the bed-plate 19 of the sewing-machine, and plate N is also provided with a slot 17, to allow the head of the screw t room to operate when the cam-plate J is in operation. The camplate is provided at its rear end with small stops or ears 5 5,which engage a pin c at the end of each stroke of said cam-plate to limit the swing thereof. f p

Figs. 6 and 7 clearly show one position of the switch-cam W W in which the pin 7 is engaged in that arm of the slot W which is remote from the operator. It will be seen that when the sliding frame vreaches the end of its rearward stroke the front end of the operating-arm carrying the pin 7 is thrown Y by the spring O to the center of the slot W;

but owing to the inclinedor angular position of the cam-plate the tongue 2O is not opposite the center of the slot W', but is arranged at one-side thereof, thereby guiding the pin 7 into the other arm of the slot W when the sliding frame again advances. The forward movement of the operating-arm and pin 7 now swings the cam-plate into the other position, and therebycauses the tongue 2O to assume a position on the opposite side of the center of the slot W', whereby when the slidingv frame retreats the spring O throws the front end of the arm E into the center of the slot W and on the opposite side of the tongue 20. Having thus described my invention, I claimy 1. In a sewing-machine attachment, th

combination of `the rotary shaft carrying a feed-roll, the cam loosely mounted on said shaft and carrying a pawl to engage a ratchet on the shaft, and the sliding frame connected to the needle-bar and provided with an arm to engage and operate the said cam, substantially as specified.

. 2. The combination, with the shaft carrying a feed-roll, of a ca-m loosely mounted on the shaft and having a pawl-and-ratchet connection therewith, the adjustable arm pivoted to a slotted sector and provided with a setscrew, said cam being providedwitha checkpin to engage the adjustable arm, and the ysliding frame provided with an arm to engage and operate the cam, substantially as specified.

3. The combination, with the shaft carrying a feed-roll and provided at the opposite end .with a ball socketed in a suitable post, `and the tension-spring bearing on an intermediate point of said shaft, of the spring-actuated pressing-fingers arranged adjacent to the feed-roll and provided with a lateral strip or arm which extends under and is engaged by the said shaft,'substantially as specified.

4. The combination, with a rotary feed-roll mounted loosely on .its shaft and the sliding frame connected to the needle bar and adapted to be reciprocated thereby, of the campi-ate provided with a cam-slot having diverging arms and registering with a guideslot in a stationary plate, said cam-plate being connected to the feed-roll, and the operating-arm carried by the sliding frame and ,provided with a pin to engage the registering slots, substantially as specified.

5. The combination, with a rotary feed-roll sliding on its shaft and the sliding frame connected to the needle-bar and adapted to be reciprocated thereby, of the cam-plate connected to the feed-roll and provided with a cam-slot which registers with a guide-slot in a stationary plate, the operating-arm carrying a pin to engage the registering slots, and the spring carried by the sliding plate and having engagement `with the operating-arm to cause its pin to normally lie in the center of the guide-slot, substantially as specified.

6. The combination, with a feed-roll having a lateral movement on its shaft and the sliding plate provided with lugs to engage a peripheral groove in the said roll, of the cam- ICO plate connected to the said sliding plate byav link having a set-screw to engage a curved slotin the cam-plate, whereby the throw of the sliding plate may be adjusted, and the sliding frame carrying an operating arm which engages a cam-slot in the cam-plate, whereby the latter is oscillated, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

7. rIhe combination, with a rotary shaft carrying a feed-roll having a spline-and-groove connection therewith and the sliding plate carrying adjustable pressing-fingers and connected to the said feed-roll, of the sliding frame connected to the needle-bar and carrying an operating-arm, and the cam-plate connected to the said sliding plate and adapted to be engaged by the said operating-arm, the sliding frame being further provided with an arm to engage a loose cam having apawl-andratchet connection with the rotary shaft, substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

IIO 

